College Placement Test: Experiences from Students/Grads

[undrcvrbro]

Anyone remember anything about this college placement test? Ill be a freshman in Chemical Engineering next year and was wondering what its all about(specifically the math section). Difficult? Easy? Any past experiences from any student or graduate who had dealt with it previously?

Any input appreciated!

 

[undrcvrbro]

wow

Apparently the 50 people who have looked at this thread have never taken a college placement exam.


Thanks guys.

 

[mr_coffee]

lulz;
:x

I never took a college placement exam.
They based on your SAT scores what you should start at.

They told me pre-calc I said f you.

So depending on the school, the entrance exams might not mean anything, might just say what they think you should be placed at, doesn't mean you have to be placed there.

 

[undrcvrbro]

haha

I hope that's the case where I'm going. Because of my English ACT score they want me in Honors English comp 1. Screw that. What good could that do for Chemical Engineering?

 

[Jskota]

The COMPASS Test for mathematics at my college was rather easy, in my opinion. It will cut you off if you start getting questions wrong...and actually does a really nice job of placing you in the correct math class.

In terms of what is on it, you start off with easy arithmetic and if you are doing well it will progress you to algebra II level math, and then will start going into trigonometry. I was cut off after about 10 questions in trig, I got a 65 (no clue what the highest is, probably 100)...and the first engineering calculus course, for me, Analytic Geometry-Calculus I requires 45 (or 46, can't remember for sure).

At my college the highest you could be placed was Analytic Geometry-Calculus I without having AP credit from high school.

IF I can recall, a 28 on your ACT in the math section will receive equal placement. So if you have that, and ARE given the option (you probably will be), ignore the placement test for math...obviously there is no point.

Hope this helps.

 

[undrcvrbro]

thank you

thank you for your input everyone. It definitely helps. I talked to an academic adviser from my university and apparently it is extremely similar to the ACT (it is made by the same company after all), so I will be studying an ACT prep book for the math section. The only reason I'm so worried is because I don't want to get stuck in College Algebra when I took Calc in high school. Apparently you MUST take wherever you are placed...ugh.

 

[mr_coffee]

ugh that is horriable undrcvrbro, goodluck.

Remember college's are business's, the longer your in school, the more $$$ they get. They would love to place you in college algebra.

 

[undrcvrbro]

Yeah that's pretty true, they would like nothing else more than my time and therefore my money. It's a harsh world out there haha.

 

[Asphodel]

Apparently the 50 people who have looked at this thread have never taken a college placement exam.

Nope, unless you count getting "test credit" for Eng Comp 1 & Algebra based on ACT scores.

Which kinda exempted me from the COMPASS mess.

 

[h2oski1326]

If you end up in college algebra, just look at it as a GPA booster. It is nice to have some weight behind your GPA in your last years.

 

[undrcvrbro]

Nope, unless you count getting "test credit" for Eng Comp 1 & Algebra based on ACT scores.

Which kinda exempted me from the COMPASS mess.

Yeah, that's the trend I'm seeing here. Unfortunately my college forces Engineering majors to take the math regardless...blah to that.

If you end up in college algebra, just look at it as a GPA booster. It is nice to have some weight behind your GPA in your last years.

Haha, I never thought of it that way. I talked to a professor, and to my dismay he warned me that I may need to make up summer courses if that is the case.

 

[ks_physicist]

I hope that's the case where I'm going. Because of my English ACT score they want me in Honors English comp 1. Screw that. What good could that do for Chemical Engineering?

Engineers who can write well, and for diverse audiences, are very valuable.

 

[undrcvrbro]

yeah..

you're right. I was just being the ignorant high school student that I am. I'm sure taking honors English comp will better me somehow, or else they wouldn't have engineering students take it.

 

[mcknia07]

Well, in my case, the placement test is just a rough idea on where you should be placed. If, by some odd chance, you don't place where you think you should, or something like that, you can take it again, or if you know you will be better in a higher or lower class, I mean it's all up to you really, and how you feel you will do, too. It was quite simple on where I am going to school at, in Ohio, so I'm not sure it will be the same for you and your college you were accepted at.